A Mid-Week Dead Drop Break
In the world of national security, it can’t all be so serious, so here’s a preview of what’s waiting for you in this week’s Dead […] More
State of Play
Behind the Headlines in Munich
Several Cipher Brief experts attended this year’s Munich Security Conference, which concluded last weekend. The annual event is an opportunity for Atlantic allies to share […] More
A Very Decent Spy Behind Home Plate
MOVIE REVIEW: The Spy Behind Homeplate (a documentary) by James Periard James Periard served over 25 years in the Central Intelligence Agency as a Case […] More
Baseball and the CIA: My 10 Favorite Life Lessons
Baseball in the Polymeropoulos family is our life. We spend the majority of our year engrossed in my 17-year-old son’s fledgling career, playing across the […] More
The Latest
How the CIA Penetrated Winterfell
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Deputy Director David Cohen ditched the Washington law firm suit and tie last week for a robe and a […] More
How Jimmy Hatch Touched the Dragon and Survived
I was introduced to Jimmy Hatch via email in late 2014. I was months away from launching The Cipher Brief and a mutual friend who […] More
Why Intelligence Matters
Former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell is debuting season two of his popular podcast ‘Intelligence Matters’ in partnership with CBS News this week. The Cipher […] More
Book Review: U.S. Spies Triumph in Tragedy against Hitler
Wartime has been a force multiplier for espionage ever since the Revolutionary War, when General George Washington was the founding father of the art of […] More
Taking a Lesson from Churchill for Today
The Cipher Brief’s State of Play series encompasses reviews of the books, movies and TV shows that help shape our understanding of the national security […] More
Daniel Silva’s House of Spies: Old Spies Don’t Die or Fade Away
As General Douglas MacArthur famously said, “Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.” In the world of fiction, old spies don’t die or fade […] More
Dunkirk: The Larger-than-Life Story on a Larger-than-Life Screen
If you don’t know what a Stukka Dive Bomber sounds like, you will never forget its eerie, piercing wail after watching Dunkirk. It is sound, […] More
Is the U.S. Getting Outmaneuvered at Sea?
Retired Admiral James Stavridis believes the Trump Administration fails to recognize the importance of our oceans. In his new book Sea Power: The History and […] More
China: The Greatest Disruptive Force Today
Graham Allison’s ominously titled Destined for War fulfills an implied promise made by his seminal Atlantic magazine article 18 months ago. That article was labeled […] More
State of Play Review: Alex Berenson’s The Prisoner
In Alex Berenson’s new thriller, The Prisoner, his hero John Wells goes undercover in a European prison to smoke out a CIA mole who is […] More
Book Review: "Enhanced Interrogation"
Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying to Destroy America is a firsthand account of the CIA’s controversial interrogation program […] More
The Interrogation of Saddam: An Opportunity of a Lifetime
This week, The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […] More
The Interrogation of Saddam and Dispelling Myths
This week The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […] More
The Man Behind "Rise of the Machines"
“Rise of the Machines: A Cybernetic History” (2016) tells the story of cybernetics, a control theory of man and machine devised by mathematician Norbert Wiener […] More
"The End of the Asian Century": Exploring Asia’s Future
Conventional wisdom suggests Asia’s increasing wealthy and educated population will make it the most dynamic region of the world and that it will drive the […] More